Bus210 Wk 11: Franchising

I was able to complete my franchising and entrepreneur papers this week. It has been beneficial to talk with others who have gone down these paths already. There is a lot for me to learn. I think that franchising sounds appealing because of the business systems already in place. But, after a lot of consideration, I believe that a start-up is more aligned with my goals.

We studied Steve Jobs. I have not followed his life but know the name. It was interesting to hear his take on business. He dropped out of college because he felt he was wasting his parents money. He seemed to know himself better than most young people. Unfortunately, I think many people use his example to drop out of college, choosing that point to follow. Instead, they should be looking at his "why's." He had passion, natural talents, and a work ethic that allowed him to find success without the formal education first. These strengths allowed him to suffer the downfalls of failure and disappointment as well. Those hard times didn't crush him, but allowed him to climb even higher. He was definitely a unique individual prepared to leave his mark on the world.

"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

I am heading into the final week and a half of my $100 Challenge.  

My fails so far:

• I used google forms for my orders. The same person cannot use it more than once. Some people don't have access to google forms. 
• I never got my week 2 order form posted.
• I had to wait an extra 5 days for my containers to be delivered. 
• The store ran out of the tomatoes I use as well as the peppers in my recipe.

My successes:

• I sold 22 units the first week. My friends really pulled through!
• I thought I was only going to have 1 sale from my week 3 post, but I have 9. (not what I wanted, but better than 1)
• I have a repeat customer!
• I met my $100 goal the first week. My profits were higher than I had anticipated!

So there you go. Not bad. I didn't meet my original goal of $400 yet. I will be posting this Wednesday for my final salsa sales. I can see the gaps in my business methods. I realize there are many things I would have to do differently if I were to be serious about building this into a true business. I would have to get permits to prepare and sell food. I would want to book some farmers markets or festivals so people could taste the salsa and purchase right there. I would need to add sticker labels to my costs. I think I could also talk to some smaller business/markets about carrying the product in their shops. Then I would have a consistent large order. But, alas, I am not prepared in my life to pursue the salsa dreams. Maybe another time. School, home, family, weddings, and life seem be taking priority positions at the moment. No complaints, though. I'm learning things and I couldn't ask for more than that.